No deal Brexit vote results: Which Cabinet ministers ABSTAINED? Will May SACK them?
THERESA MAY was dealt get another blow last night as her plan to move Brexit forward was again thwarted by the House of Commons. So which Cabinet ministers abstained?
Brexit: Government in ‘total free fall’ after no deal vote says MP
In another shocking night in Parliament, Theresa May and her Brexit deal were sent into further crisis. An amendment, tabled by Tory MP Caroline Spelman, to rule out a no deal Brexit at any time, was approved by an incredibly narrow margin of four votes. This resulted in the Government’s main motion of ruling out no deal on March 29 only being amended to rule it out at any time.
The passing of the Spelman amendment led Mrs May to retract her offer of a free vote and imposing the whip on the main motion, instructing her party to vote against it.
The issue was the time: Mrs May didn’t want to rule out the option of no-deal at any time, just on March 29, in the hope it would focus minds to vote her deal through and leave on time.
But many, including some at the very high levels of government, declined the whip - some voted for the amendment, and some abstained altogether.
Under normal circumstances, ignoring a whip of this magnitude would result in ministers being sacked, if they didn’t resign.
So who abstained?
According to the division list, the following 11 ministers abstained from the amended motion:
- Solicitor General Robert Buckland
- Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt
- Business Secretary Greg Clark
- Defence minister Tobias Ellwood
- Justice Secretary David Gauke
- Business minister Richard Harrington
- Culture minister Margot James
- Education minister Anne Milton
- Scottish Secretary David Mundell
- Business minister Claire Perry
- Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd
Will they be sacked?
Incredibly, it looks like those who abstained will not face repercussions.
And who ignored the whip?
Sarah Newton, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work ignored the whip and voted for the amendment.
She later resigned.
Other Tory MPs who voted against the whip:
- Guto Bebb (Aberconwy)
- Richard Benyon (Newbury)
- Nick Boles (Grantham and Stamford)
- Kenneth Clarke (Rushcliffe)
- Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon)
- George Freeman (Mid Norfolk)
- Justine Greening (Putney)
- Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield)
- Sam Gyimah (East Surrey)
- Phillip Lee (Bracknell)
- Oliver Letwin (West Dorset)
- Paul Masterton (East Renfrewshire)
- Mark Pawsey (Rugby)
- Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury)
- Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex)
- Edward Vaizey (Wantage)